Chapter Nine                                                                                                                       Monday, November 20, 1989

Monday morning, Francine awoke late to find Ephraim sitting up in bed, talking on the phone with his parents. When he finished, he said, “Good morning, Francine. I had the nurse bring some coffee for you with my breakfast, if you want some.”

“Definitely,” Francine responded. She walked over and grabbed the Styrofoam cup, drinking the coffee greedily.

As Francine finished her cup of coffee, Dr. Kelford came back in. “Well, Ephraim, are you ready to leave?”

“Definitely,” Ephraim insisted. “I just want to get home and get in my own clothes and not have to eat any more hospital food!”

“Well, if Francine will go get the car, we’ll get you out of here!”

Francine jumped up and smiled. “I’ll be waiting at the front of the hospital for you.”

Ephraim watched her leave, then slowly got himself dressed. A minute or two later, Nurse Taylor came in with the wheelchair and Ephraim reluctantly sat down. “I don’t understand why I have to ride in this thing,” he complained.

“Hospital policy,” Sherry responded. “Please tell Amanda the next time you see her thank you for the cookies. She’s such a sweet lady.”

“That she is,” Ephraim answered. “She’s supposed to bring me a care package later on today.”

“You’ve got a really good girlfriend, too. She never left your side Saturday night. We tried to get her to go home, but she wouldn’t budge,” Sherry confided.

“Francine?” Ephraim questioned. “Really?” He was stunned. He knew she’d been in his room since he’d been there, but figured it was partner loyalty or something like that. Whenever he’d ask her about it, she’d say something about how he was her partner.

“Yes,” Sherry confirmed. “She was close to losing it in the waiting area until Amanda and her husband got there. I thought she was your wife.”

Ephraim was speechless. He stared blankly in front of him, unaware of the nurse pushing him into the elevator. Francine really cared about him. He’d thought she was interested in him and he’d certainly enjoyed kissing her, but he knew she was nervous about going any deeper. The idea that she’d been that upset about his shooting filled him with a feeling beyond anything he could describe.

“Ephraim?” He shook his head and realized they were at Francine’s car. “Are you OK?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Ephraim stammered as the nurse helped him stand up.

“Let’s just stand here a moment and make sure you can move on your own,” Sherry insisted. They stood for a moment as Francine watched with concern.

“I’m OK now,” Ephraim said. Sherry led him to the car and helped him get in. Francine took his bag from the wheelchair and walked around to the driver’s side.

“Thanks, Sherry,” Francine said as she got in. She looked over at Ephraim and said, “Are you ready to go home?”

Ephraim glanced over at her and nodded. He still couldn’t get what Sherry had confided out of his head. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

SMK SMK

Amanda and Lee sat in the Corvette in front of Ephraim’s apartment building, waiting for Francine to arrive with Ephraim. They had arranged earlier that morning with Francine to be there to help Ephraim navigate the elevators and get settled in. Soon, they saw Francine pull into the parking lot and the couple got out to meet them.

“Good morning, Francine,” Amanda greeted as they came up to Francine’s BMW. “How’re you doing?” Amanda walked closer to Francine and looked closely at her. “Are you holding up OK?”

“I’m fine, Amanda,” Francine insisted. “Let’s get Ephraim situated, shall we?” Francine walked away from Amanda without looking her in the eye. Amanda glanced over at Lee and gave him a look. He shrugged and turned to help Ephraim get out of the car.

“Thanks, Lee,” Ephraim sighed as he stood up. Lee put Ephraim’s left arm over his shoulder and walked with him towards the entrance. Francine pulled the hospital bag and her overnight bag out and Amanda followed behind with the picnic basket Dotty had filled with homemade goodies.

Once they reached the apartment, Amanda went to the kitchen and unpacked the basket. Lee helped get Ephraim situated on the couch and Francine took his bag to the bedroom, placing hers in the dining area.

Amanda walked into the living room and stood next to Lee. “Ephraim, I’m so glad you were able to come home so quickly. We were all a little worried about you.”

Ephraim smiled and replied, “Thanks, Amanda. I really appreciate all the help. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you wrap things up.”

“There wasn’t anything to help with,” Lee responded. “With Balázs dead and Kun captured, the ball finished successfully and the delegation left yesterday for Hungary. Apparently, Balázs was tired of being an aide and had dreams of grandeur. He talked Kun into a plot to assassinate the president, thinking it would lift them up to higher positions. Kun thought it would help him win back his ex-wife, who had left him a few months ago.”

“Well, I’m glad it turned out to be a simple case,” Ephraim breathed. “No loose ends to find with this one.”

“Now, you can just focus on getting better,” Amanda said. “I’m expecting you for Thanksgiving dinner, so you better follow doctor’s orders.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Ephraim laughed, then cringed at a shooting pain from his abdomen.

Lee glanced at Amanda and nodded his head at the door. Amanda stood up and said, “We’re going to head out. With the week off, we’re giving Mother a nice break from babysitting duty. If you need anything at all, we’ll be at home, so please call. I’ll be mad if you don’t.” Amanda patted Ephraim on the shoulder and gave him a grin.

Francine stood to walk them out. As Amanda walked out the door, she whispered, “I know you, Francine. You got really scared and now you’re in full retreat. Listen to your heart, not your head for a change. You know where I am, and I want you to call me if you need to talk. Promise me you’re not going to shut yourself out.”

Francine stared at her blankly. Amanda put her hand on Francine’s shoulder and whispered, “I mean it…promise me…or I’m not going to leave.”

“I promise, Amanda,” Francine nodded weakly. Amanda looked her in the eye, then nodded. Lee patted her on the back and whispered, “It’s going to be OK. Look how I turned out.” He grinned as Francine gave him a dark look. She shut the door and started to walk to the kitchen.

“Ephraim, would you like something to drink? Dotty made you some chocolate chip cookies- would you like one?” she said smoothly.

“No, Francine. I’d like for you to come sit down, if you don’t mind,” Ephraim responded.

“Well, I really need…”

“Amanda already took care of everything. You know she did. Now, come in here…please,” Ephraim requested. Francine took a deep breath and walked over to the sitting area, choosing to sit in the chair opposite of the couch where Ephraim rested. “OK, I’m sitting,” she breathed.

“Come sit over here…with me,” Ephraim suggested. Francine looked at him, then sighed and moved to the cushion next to him. “Francine, I just wanted to say thank you for being there for me these past few days. It really means a lot to me that you stayed with me in the hospital and, well, I’m glad that you agreed to stay here to help me out until I can do things on my own.”

“Of course, I agreed to stay with you…if you want me to. You’re my partner and it’s my job to make sure that you’re taken care of,” Francine answered. She looked over at Ephraim and sighed. “Ephraim, I…well, I just wanted to thank you for what you did Saturday night. Balázs caught me off guard and I was afraid that he…well, that I wouldn’t be able to get away and…”

“Francine,” Ephraim interrupted, taking one of her hands in his. “I’ve never been more scared in my life than when he grabbed you. I was so afraid he was going to shoot you before I could get a shot off. When you gave me that look, I just knew what you were going to do and I took the opportunity.” He squeezed her hand and gazed into Francine’s eyes. “I couldn’t let Balázs hurt you…that wasn’t an option.”

Francine turned away, afraid of letting Ephraim see the tears that were coming to her eyes. “Um, I just remembered. I promised Billy I would call him…”

“Stop it, Francine,” Ephraim commanded. “Turn around and look at me.” Francine took a deep breath, willing herself to be in control. “Please, Francine, look at me.” She slowly turned to look at Ephraim and he grabbed her hand again. “You don’t have to hide from me. You don’t have to hide your emotions. I won’t hold it against you, I won’t hold it over you and I won’t laugh at you. I told you Saturday that I would always be here for you, and I meant it.” He searched her eyes and found the tears she was so desperate to hide. “Now, please…tell me…why you are crying.”

“I’m not…” Francine began, then stopped as she looked at Ephraim. “All right, I’ll be honest with you.” She took a deep, shuddering breath as she continued, “I don’t know where to begin, except that, on Saturday, for a little while, I thought you were…dead.”

She took another deep breath as tears spilled over and tumbled down her face. Ephraim sat quietly and squeezed her hand gently. She looked back at him and whispered, “I thought you were gone and it…it…devastated me. I remember just sitting there, frozen, staring at your blood on my hands and wishing…wishing…I could have one more minute with you. I felt like…I…I don’t know…it felt like…when my father left…that I was all alone…” she broke off with a sob and threw her head into her hands.

Ephraim sat back, stunned by the emotional revelation. He couldn’t believe how much Francine had just opened up to him. He began to pull her closer, then groaned when he felt a shooting pain.

“Ephraim, stop…you’re going to rip your stitches,” Francine protested.

“I’m fine, Francine,” he insisted as he wrapped his good arm around her, pulling her closer, having her lean back against his good side. “I’m so sorry, Francine, that you had to deal with all of this. But, I promise you,” he kissed the top of her head, “you are not all alone. I’m not going anywhere.”

Francine took a deep breath, then reached up to wipe the tears off her face. “I’m OK, Ephraim. And, I’m so glad that you’re going to be OK. I just got scared Saturday. It was silly, I know…”

“It wasn’t silly,” Ephraim interrupted. “Quit putting yourself down, Francine. You know, I could kill the people who made you feel that you are less than the magnificent woman that you are. There is nothing wrong with feeling emotions. I’m honored that you think so much of me that you were…devastated…that I might be gone. Now, look at me.” Francine turned to look at him and was taken aback by the depth of emotion she saw in his eyes. “When I woke up in the hospital and saw you there, I was floored. I’ve never had anyone outside of my parents take care of me the way you have these past few days. I can’t even begin to tell you how that made me feel,” he whispered as he leaned down and gently kissed her.

 Francine pulled back and looked at him, tears glistening again in her eyes. “Francine,” Ephraim whispered, “I am not going to leave you.” He kissed her again, pulling her as close as possible without hurting his wounded side.

Francine snuggled close to Ephraim, laying her head on his chest. She sighed deeply, as if letting go of all that she’d been holding in for the past few days. Ephraim held her close, relishing the moment. Eventually, they both fell asleep, spent from the exhaustion of the past few days.

SMK SMK

As the sun began to set, Francine sat up and looked at the man who’d put his life on the line for her, the man who’d been her friend even when she’d pushed him away, the man who’d joined her in a partnership that the rest of the Agency had laughed at. Ephraim opened his eyes, and she saw in his eyes a deep and abiding affection that she’d never seen in anyone’s eyes for her. She saw the same look she’d seen so many times on Lee’s face when he was looking at Amanda.

She suddenly felt an incredible urge to tell him how she felt about him. She thought about what Amanda said, about not retreating, and decided that she had to force herself to do it. She had to trust that he wouldn’t hold it over her head, as Jonathan had for so many years. She looked at Ephraim and took a deep, shuddering breath.

Ephraim saw a strange look come over Francine’s face. Unable to figure out what she was thinking, he asked, “Francine, what’s going on? Are you OK?”

“Ephraim,” she began, summoning up the courage she’d used when she’d blazed her way up the ranks of the Agency, “you’ve told me that you would be whatever I wanted you to be for me. You’ve promised me you’ll never leave me. You put yourself in danger to save my life.”

Ephraim nodded and smiled. “Yes, I’ve done all of that.”

“You’ve done all of this and haven’t asked anything of me in return. You accept me just as I am, flaws and all, and you care about me, even though I’ve been…well, less than kind to you at times.”

“All true,” Ephraim agreed with a laugh, then pulled her to him and kissed her gently.

She pushed back and looked away. “Ephraim, I don’t know how to do this. I’ve spent my entire life keeping everything inside, knowing that, if I let anyone in, they would eventually tear me apart.” She took a deep breath, then turned to face him again.

“This week, a lot of things changed for me. When I got that invitation from Jonathan, I felt like someone had punched me in the stomach. I’ve spent so much of my life avoiding commitment that I felt like life was passing me by. I wasted so much time on that jerk, and you were there for me when I really needed someone.”

“I was happy to be there for you, Francine. I wish you had told me about it in the first place,” Ephraim said, caressing her hand with his fingers. “We could’ve avoided a lot of misunderstandings that way.”

Francine gave a weak smile. “I see that now but, at the time, I just couldn’t picture you as wanting to…well, do anything more than any other guy who’s chased me has wanted to do.”

Ephraim gave her a look and she shrugged. “Kelly didn’t help matters either. I just couldn’t understand what you saw in her,” Francine continued.

“I didn’t see anything in her, Francine,” Ephraim retorted. “I was just trying to be nice…”

“I know that now, and I guess I should thank her in a way,” Francine interrupted. Ephraim gave her an incredulous look and she gave a little laugh. “Not that I’m going to, but it made me see you in a new light. Actually, it just made me see you as you really are...and it hurt to think you might want someone else.”

Ephraim laughed and kissed her again. “So, you thought that after trying to get your attention for years, my head would get turned by some new girl? I hope you know me better than that. Let me clear something up for you- I could tell that Kelly was trying to work her ‘charms’ on me. I’m not sure why she decided to hit on me, but she did. I felt a little sorry for her. I mean, I do know what it’s like to be interested in someone who doesn’t seem to feel the same way.” He gave her a look, and she blushed. Then he continued. “But, you never had to worry about Kelly, Francine,” he whispered, drawing his hand down her face gently. “There’s just no comparison.”

Francine looked into his eyes and smiled. “You knew the whole time? You knew I was jealous?”

“Not exactly,” Ephraim clarified. “I didn’t know…I hoped, but I didn’t want to take a chance and be mistaken. I didn’t really know for sure until the other day…when you told me you wanted Friday night to be a date.”

Francine smiled again, then took a deep breath. She’d opened up to him, but hadn’t told him everything. Ephraim looked deep into her eyes and said,  “Francine, I…”

She pushed back and looked him. Quietly she said, “Ephraim, wait. If I don’t say this now, I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to.”

He looked at her. Francine continued to surprise him. He’d hoped that she’d eventually open up to him, but wasn’t sure she ever would. “I thought I lost you on Saturday night. I thought I’d lost the chance to tell you what you mean to me. I promised myself that, if you lived, I would tell you,” Francine confessed. “I would tell you…that you mean…that I…that you…” she broke down and he pulled her close.

“Francine,” Ephraim whispered. “It’s OK, you don’t have to…”

“I do,” she cried. “I have to tell you that I…” Francine took a deep breath and opened her eyes. “I…Ephraim, I want to give this a chance. I don’t want to look back on my life and regret…not…giving you a chance. I want…”

He pulled her close and kissed her with every ounce of feeling he possessed. She reached up and pulled him closer to her and deepened the kiss. Eventually, he pulled away and gazed into her eyes. “Francine,” he whispered, “I…I…can’t tell you how happy you’ve made me. I…you…mean so much to me…”

Francine looked back at him, then pulled him down for another kiss. “I’m happy, too, Ephraim…but I’m scared. I’m not good with this whole commitment thing and…I don’t want…to hurt you.”

“We’re together, Francine,” Ephraim said as he pulled her close in an embrace. “We’ll work everything else out as we go.” They clung to each other, aware that they had overcome a significant hurdle.

A few moments later, Francine stood up and turned to look at Ephraim, eyes shining. She put out her hand and helped him get to his feet. Together, they slowly made their way to the hallway. When they reached the dining area, Ephraim watched as Francine leaned down and picked up her overnight bag. Then she walked alone to his bedroom, where she set the bag down.

He glanced at her, then slowly made his way to where she stood. He brought his hand up to her face, drawing it gently down, then cupping her neck as he brought his forehead down to meet his. “Francine…” he whispered. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Francine looked into his eyes and smiled, tears filling hers. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but…yes, Ephraim…I want this. I want you…to be with you…for as long as you’ll have me,” she whispered.

Ephraim smiled as he led her farther in, then gingerly wrapped his arms around her, careful not to touch his injured side. “I hope you’re prepared for eternity, Francine,” he whispered as he rained kisses on her face and neck, “because that’s what I want.”

Together, they made their way to the bed, both knowing they were taking a significant step in their relationship. By morning, they both realized that they had truly become partners…in every way.